Crisis Core: The Female SOLDIER

38

"I knew, ever since I was a child..." Sephiroth began, "I was not like the others. I knew mine was a special existence." One of the pods opened, and the mutated creature fell out, sickly blue green skin on the top half of its body with the bottom half being orange with clawed feet. "But this... This was not what I meant."

Sephiroth looked to his shaking hands. "Am I... a human being?"

"Of course you are, Sephiroth!" Sera answered. "You're-"

"Don't lie to yourself, Sera," a new voice spoke out. "We both know that's not true. Sephiroth is a monster."

All three of them turned at the voice, only for Sera and Zack to be thrown back against the wall as magic shot towards them, Sera unable to cast a barrier magic in time, whilst Sephiroth had blocked his.

Genesis landed on the stairs behind them all. "Sephiroth... You were the greatest monster created by the Jenova Project."

"Genesis!" Sera cried out, seeing the familiar man in red as she struggled to stand, but apparently the magic Genesis had shot towards them was meant to keep her and Zack down and out of the way.

"So you are alive!" Zack added.

Genesis smirked as he looked to the two downed SOLDIERs. "I suppose I am, if you could call this living," Genesis ran a hand over the side of his face as he said this, and they saw that his person was losing color, from his hair to his skin and even his attire, various parts of him sporting what looked like cracked marks.

His degradation had worsened.

"What is the Jenova Project?" Genesis turned to Sephiroth as he spoke. "The Jenova Project," Genesis answered, "was the term used for all experiments... relating to the use of Jenova's cells."

"My mother's... cells?"

"Poor little Sephiroth," Genesis spread his arms out. "You've never actually met your mother. You've only been told her name, no?" He sat on the stairs as he continued, with everyone else listening. "I don't know what images you've conjured up in your head, but..."

"Stop it," Sera struggled to stand, knowing what he was about to say as she tried to stop him. "Stop it, Genesis! No!"

"Jenova... was excavated from a 2000-year-old rock layer. She's a monster."

The harbinger of death... the cause of our extinction.... The calamity from the sky... the voices echoed in Sera's mind.

Sephiroth gasped as he took a step back, not knowing what to think and Sera could only watch, unable to stop this from unfolding. 'Sephiroth...'

"Sephiroth... I need your help. My body is continuing to degrade," Genesis said. He stood up, "SOLDIER 1st Class, Sephiroth!" His words made Sephiroth look up, shock still visible on his features. Genesis walked down the stairs. "Jenova Project G gave birth to Angeal, and monsters like myself," He told them. "Jenova Project S..."

"S...?" Zack echoed, not hearing about this before.

"...used the remains of countless failed experiments to create a perfect monster."

"Shut up, Genesis!" Sera shouted at the person who was once her teacher, anger filling her at his heartless words. But Genesis just ignored her. "Just shut up!" She could not bear to hear this, could not bear the look she saw on Sephiroth's face. It was filled with shock, and sadness. To see her mentor looking like that... the person she saw as a father figure...

It was tearing her apart.

"What do you want of me?" Sephiroth asked softly.

"Your traits cannot be copied unto others." The degrading man said, "Your genes can't be diffused. Therefore, your body cannot degrade."

He took a few steps forwards. "Share your cells with me," Genesis looked to the silver haired man. "My friend, your desire," he held out a dumbapple. "Is the bringer of life, the gift of the Goddess."

Sephiroth slowly turned, looked to Genesis before he gazed up at the door at the top of the stairs. Images of the creatures flashed through his mind, and he sighed.

"Whether your words..." he spoke, "are lies created to deceive me..." He gazed back at Genesis, "or the truth, that I have sought all my life... it makes no difference," He knocked the fruit from his hand, surprising Genesis. "You will rot," Sephiroth finished, going down the stairs and exiting the reactor, leaving them behind.

Genesis grabbed his hand. "I see... perfect monster, indeed," He started to pace. "When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end, the Goddess descends from the sky. Wings of light and dark spread afar, She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting."

"How could you, Genesis?" Sera growled. That man was no longer the person she used to know. He had turned into someone else entirely. "How could you? You bastard!" Genesis paid no heed to her words, and left as well.

"No, stop!" Zack finally got to his feet and ran after him, Sera following close behind.

The two of them exited the reactor to see Cloud falling to the ground after being hit by Genesis clones. The other two infantrymen were nowhere to be seen, possibly having run away or were already killed by the copies, leaving Tifa unguarded, her body poised to defend herself.

Sera and Zack quickly took down the copies, and went over to Tifa who was crouching over the infantryman, not knowing that it was Cloud. "He... tried to protect me..."

"I know," Zack said.

Sera knelt down to check on Cloud, careful not to remove his helmet, and sighed in relief. "He's alright. Just unconscious. But We need to take him back to town."

Tifa and Zack nodded. "Alright, I'll clear a path," Zack said, "You two help him walk and stay close." Sera and Tifa nodded and they proceeded to help Cloud up, each arm over their shoulders as they began to make their way back to Nibelheim.

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"Where did Sephiroth go...?" Zack wondered once they finally reached the village. Tifa and Sera leaned Cloud against the wall of a building and Tifa went towards him. "Something the matter?" Tifa asked.

"Sorry, I can't tell you," Zack said.

Tifa turned to Sera only to find the female SOLDIER shaking her head as well, not saying anything. Tifa sighed. "I'm not surprised," she walked past them. "I'll ask around town about Sephiroth," She walked away.

"Thank you, Tifa," Sera gave a small smile before she turned to Zack. "C'mon, let's get Cloud into the inn."